"Arthur, you're almost as bad as Simon!" "It runs in the programming"
Thru the Moebius Strip is a 3D animated film made in Shenzhen, China, and produced in Hong Kong. The story involves an inventor named Simon Weir, who invents a device that enables him to teleport to anywhere in the universe. Upon traveling to a distant planet, he is captured by a race of giant aliens. Seven years later, his son, Jac, refuses to believe that Simon has died. He locates the teleportation device and embarks on a journey to rescue his father. Along the way, he is caught in the middle of a civil war.
The film was first shown to the public at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, where it was praised for its animation.
Thru the Moebius Strip contains examples of:
- Aliens Speaking English: The Raphiccans have no trouble communicating with the humans.
- Big Bad: Tor.
- Bookends: The film starts with Simon being captured by a giant alien, and ends with Tor being captured by an alien even larger than him.
- Chase Scene: When Caroline and Jac are fleeing from the police cruisers while en route to Dr. Droids.
- The Chosen One: Prince Ragis is prophesized to be this.
- The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much: The old king's death is claimed to be as a result of him being gored by a wild espar, while in reality it was due to Tor stabbing him. Ragis realizes that this is a coverup when it is pointed out that the body only had one puncture wound, while an attack by the beast would have left two.
- Elaborate Underground Base: Where Simon Weir conducted his experiments with the teleporter.
- Food Fight: Jac starts one during Tor's speech.
- Hellgate: The teleporter on Raphicca is this on two separate occasions.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Tor shatters one of the crystals powering the portal, causing it to malfunction and send him to a desert planet inhabited by creatures much larger than him.
- I Will Find You: Jac spent seven years trying to find out what happened to his father, and eventually heads for the planet Raphicca to do so.
- No Biochemical Barriers: The atmosphere of Raphicca is suitable for humans, and Simon lived there for seven years, so he had to have been given food and water during this time.
- 1-Dimensional Thinking: When an object falls through the portal at the beginning, Arthur tries to run away from it in a straight line and gets crushed.
- Power Crystal: High Priestess Shepway and her apprentice Allana use crystals to fuel their magic and to power the portal on the Raphiccan side.
- Robot Buddy: Arthur to Simon.
- Robotic Reveal: The one who runs the Dr. Droids shop reveals himself as a very human-looking robot upon meeting the Weirs.
- Sibling Murder: Tor became the king by doing this.
- Slow Clap: After Tor reveals that he has rebuilt the Raphiccan army, his advisor rises and starts clapping, followed by the rest of the audience.
- Technobabble: The explanation of how the portal works.
- Teleportation Misfire: Tor accidentally shattering one of the power crystals causes this.
- Weaponized Teleportation: Tor first attempts to use the portal to conquer other planets, and then tries to use it to allow a more powerful army to invade and destroy Raphicca after he is defeated.
